Wildfires Reading Answers IELTS
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Wildfires is a real Reading test passage that appeared in the IELTS.
The Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for IELTS Aspirants, with diligent practice. To score well, you must understand how to approach and answer the different question types in the Reading Module.
By solving and reviewing Sample Reading Questions from past IELTS papers, you can ensure that your Reading skills are up to the mark. Take the reading passage ‘Wildfires’ below and check the Wildfires Reading Answers below.
You can also try more IELTS reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.
The question types found in this passage are:
Matching Headings
In the Matching Headings questions, a list of headings will be given and you are asked to match these headings with a paragraph in the passage. You should read the headings before you begin reading the text. To get the correct answer, you have to read the complete paragraph and not just stop with the first few lines of the paragraph. There will also be many other headings that are not related to any of the paragraphs given in the passage, in such cases, try to identify those types of headings too.
Short Answer Questions
In the Short Answer questions, you’ll have to take words from the given text to write the short answers. It is important to pay close attention to the instructions that are given in the question because in some instructions there will be a word limit mentioned and you may lose marks if you don’t follow it.
Sentence completion
In sentence completion, you’ll be asked to fill in the blank spaces using the words given in the text. It is important to pay close attention to the instructions that are given in the question because in some instructions there will be a word limit mentioned and you may lose marks if you don’t follow it.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1—13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
Find the reading passage and questions with the Wildfires PDF here.
Below, you will find the answers along with the location of the answers in the passage and the keywords that help you find out the answers.
Answers
1 Answer: vii
Question Type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, this entire paragraph is dedicated to the fuel and flames connection. It is paraphrased from the line, where the author states that “the speed at which wildfires spread depends on the fuel around them.”
2 Answer: i
Question Type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 1
Answer explanation: Paragraph C puts forward the information that “three weather variables that affect wildfires are temperature, wind, and moisture.” Hence, we can infer that this passage discusses the climate conditions in-depth.
3 Answer: v
Question Type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 3
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph infers that “in contrast to fuel and weather, topography hardly changes over time and can help or hamper the spread of a wildfire. “ “Lie of the Land” means topography. Since this passage discusses topographical influence on wildfires, the appropriate title for the passage would be lie of the land.
4 Answer: iv
Question Type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 1
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line claims that “each year thousands of fire fighters risk their lives in their jobs. Elite fire fighters come in two categories: Hotshots and Smokejumpers.” Here we can imply that thousands of firefighters are risking their lives by fighting through the blames.
5 Answer: air/oxygen
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph A, line 5
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, there’s a line in the said paragraph that describes that “three components are necessary to start a fire: oxygen, fuel, and heat. These three make up “the fire triangle”.” Hence, besides heat and fuel, oxygen/air is the third pillar of the fire triangle.
6 Answer: the fuel load
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 4
Answer explanation: Few lines in the said paragraph convey that “the quantity of inflammable material around a fire is known as “the fuel load” and is determined by the amount of available fuel per unit area, usually tons per acre.” Hence, the fuel load is measured in tons per acre.
7 Answer: In the afternoon
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 5
Answer explanation: Paragraph C puts forward the information that “consequently, wildfires tend to rage in the afternoon, during the hottest temperatures.” Hence, we can infer that wildfires tend to blow out in the afternoon.
8 Answer: Embers
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 9
Answer explanation: Here it is said that “winds can even spread embers that can generate additional fires, an event known as spotting.” Hence, embers are carried in the wind, which can create fires even from distance.
9 Answer: backfire(s)
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph E, line 8
Answer explanation: A line in the said paragraph mentions that “backfires are created by fire fighters and burn towards the main fire incinerating any potential fuel in its path.” Backfiring is a technique used by firefighters. They purposefully set fire along the fire path to exhaust the fuel in the way of a wildfire. If the fuel is consumed before the wildfire reaches that part, there are chances that the wildfire might die.
10 Answer: ratio (of fuel)
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph B, line 6
Answer explanation: In the said paragraph, you can point out that “but with wildfires, where fuel usually consists of the same type of material, the main factor influencing ignition time is the ratio of the fuel’s total surface area to its volume.” Hence, this line confirms that the factor that contributes to the wildfire frequency is the ratio of the surface to volume.
11 Answer: the wind
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 6
Answer explanation: A-line in the said paragraph states that “the biggest influence on a wildfire is probably wind and this is also the most unpredictable variable.” Hence, it is the wind that affects the wildfires’ actions.
12 Answer: crown fire
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph C, line 10
Answer explanation: If you read thoroughly, a line in the passage specifies that “winds also change the course of fires, and gusts can take flames into trees, starting a “crown fire”.” Hence, fire at the top of the tree is known as crown fire.
13 Answer: uphill
Question Type: Short Answer Questions
Answer location: Paragraph D, line 4
Answer explanation: The answer is clearly mentioned in the said paragraph and line. In the passage, it is said that “as a rule, fires move uphill much faster than downhill, and the steeper the slope, the quicker fires move. This is because fires move in the same direction of the ambient wind, which generally blows uphill.” Hence, fires move faster uphill because of the same direction of the ambient wind.
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